Have you ever noticed that a good number of individuals age more gracefully than others?
There are some people who are in their eighties and still maintain a fairly physically active life style. On the other hand, there are people who are in their sixties or younger that can barely move around and get sick frequently.
This is not by chance. Some people take better care of their bodies than others. Some individuals drive their bodies to extremes when they are young; get very little sleep, stress, drink and smoke excessively.
Others lead active, healthier lives; they exercise, they do not smoke, they drink in moderate quantities or not at all, they get enough sleep, (and as an added boost, it’s possible they may have favorable genetics on their side that may help delay the aging process). It could also be that they go under a digestive cleansing program every once in a while.
You might not notice it in the short term, but bad habits take a toll on our bodies, and sometimes it takes a while before we get seriously ill from those bad habits. That is why we should try to change our ways from time to time. Unfortunately for some, they wait too long before they challenge themselves to make a positive change.
It makes no sense to wait for a pending illness to happen to you in order to spark a change of lifestyle. We all have someone that depends on us to be at our best at all times. That should be our motivating spark towards a lifestyle change.
One thing you can do during your life style changing plan is to involve your friends and family. They do not have to follow your complete plan, but it will be helpful if they could join you in at least one part of it. For example, you could start exercising together or maybe even stop drinking carbonated drinks. Try green tea instead.
Another good motivating tool for completing your plan is to stop the temptation altogether. If you have a hard time resisting alcohol consumption try to refrain from going out to bars for a while or just simply challenge yourself to consume less.
If you tend to smoke every time you feel nervous; take a time-out from the stressful activity and go for a walk. If it's hard for you to stop smoking just try to reduce your habit by as much as you can tolerate and try to make a reasonable action plan towards quitting.
When it’s time to go to the market consider alternatives to red meats or heavily salted foods while shopping. You could for example, buy lean cuts of meat or even try some baked or broiled salmon. I think you get the idea: change begins by taking at least a few tiny steps toward your goals for a healthier lifestyle.
Experts believe that starting a positive lifestyle change may make you feel much better about your self. Moreover, you'll be more proactive in managing your health and less reactive to things like severe illness and/or day to day stress.
As a Firefighter/EMT, I’m all about safety. So, before starting any lifestyle changing plan like an exercise plan or a new diet plan you should consult with your physician for his or her input on how aggressive your goals should be. It's just a safe thing to do. Good luck.
Hey, if you have more healthy approaches towards lifestyle changing plans please leave a comment. Thanks.
